SKR E3 DIP V1.1 Setup Guide

SKR E3 DIP V1.1 Setup Guide an aid to installing one of the Ender 3 designated SKR boards, from BIGTREE-TECH. Steps include BLTouch, and UART.

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Hardware Installation

Unlike other SKR boards such as the SKR V1.4 or Pro, there is no power jumper to be set.

Without a doubt the physical installation of 3D printer mainboards tends to be the easiest part. Especially when it comes to the E3 designated boards from BIGTREE-TECH. Nonetheless somewhere down the line a curve ball gets thrown and that’s exactly what this tutorial is designed to help with. Furthermore for those new to modifying their 3D printer, the task of replacing the 3D printers mainboard can be a little daunting. While in the case of the SKR E3 DIP V1.1, it is likely to be used within a Creality Ender 3, Ender 3 Pro or Ender 5 3D printer. However the board is to be used, the Make ‘N’ Print SKR E3 DIP V1.1 setup guide should see you right.

The odd bit of re-wiring

While I will try and keep the guide as simple and easy as possible. However the odd piece of rewiring is not uncommon. Wether it be for the end-stops, stepper motors and possibly the automatic bed levelling probe.

But worry not, normally it is a simple case of pushing the metal retaining pins down with a tool or pin, and then pull out the cable. Furthermore lift the pushed down pin backup with a fingernail, then reposition the cables as needed and push back in. Nonetheless wether you need to re-wire or not is completely dependent on how each printer and its components are setup.

Power Connections

While the power connections are possibly the most easiest part of the installation on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1. Nonetheless it feels prudent to cover this subject, just encase there are some who feel less than comfortable when dealing with the electrical side of things. Furthermore for the most part, it is merely a case of placing the existing wiring from the previous board into the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 mainboard.

DC IN

Importantly the DCIN or power into the board is the power connection on the left hand side, NOT the power connection at the front of the board. Nonetheless wether you are powering the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 board with either 12V or 24V the wiring remains the same. You will need to to add the red and black wiring that runs from the power supply into the DCIN connection. However ensure that the black is placed into negative (-) and the red into the positive (+). In this case, as you look at the power connection head on, the black negative wire is to the right. While the red positive wire is to the left.

Heated Bed

For those wishing to use the builtin MOSFET on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 to power the heated bed, then plug the negative cable into the left terminal and the positive cable into the right terminal.

While many will argue polarity doesn’t matter on heated beds, on some beds it is critical. Nonetheless it is good practice to always follow the correct polarity where indicated. Furthermore it is important on some beds with LEDS attached. As such, most heated beds have a positive and negative marked, so why run the risk.

Heating Element

Importantly when it comes to the heating elements on your 3D printer, for most printers polarity doesn’t matter. But what do I mean by polarity ? In this case, positive wiring should go into the positive terminal, and negative wiring into negative terminals.

But as previously mentioned if both your wires for your heating element are identical, and have no differing markings. Then you can place any of the wires into either the positive or negative terminal.

Thermistors

When it comes to thermistors, polarity doesn’t matter, as such the wiring can be inserted either way around. Furthermore the TB connection is the Thermistor for the heated Bed. While TH0 is Thermistor for the Heating Element.

A point of note, not all thermistors come supplied with a two pin JST-XH 2.54mm pitch connector. However if your thermistors have the longer black connectors known as Dupont, then you can still use these with the help of a heated glue gun. Importantly this helps keep them in place.

Jumper Configuration

On the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 only the jumpers for the stepper driver configuration is required.

UART TMC-2208 & TMC-2209’s

Like the SKR V1.3, V1.4 or SKR Pro, setting up the stepper driver jumper connections for UART on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 is nice and easy. However let’s break it down just to ensure it is set correctly.

• Remove all the jumpers from where the stepper drivers will sit.
• Now place a single jumper one row up and the left.

UART Ready TMC Stepper Drivers

The above picture is of the PDN connections of a TMC2209 V1.2 stepper driver from BIGTREE-Tech. Furthermore we can see a pre-soldered 0Ω resistor is used to bridge the PDN / UART connections, which in turn enables UART.

Moreover if the stepper drivers being used are already soldered or bridged for UART, then skip the Non-UART Ready section. With the next step in the setup guide being Stepper Driver Placement on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1. However it might serve well to have a read anyway so you can double check that you have been sent the correct items. Furthermore it adds a little more understanding to the process, handy for future use.

Non-UART Ready TMC Stepper Drivers

If the TMC 2208 or TMC 2209’s are not UART ready, then a little soldering is required. As pictured above the J2 connection and the connection immediately above it, needs to be bridged on a TMC2208. Moreover bridging in this instance is soldering between the two connections bridging them together. Furthermore using a slightly finer solder around 0.6mm or slightly under will help make a cleaner contact.

*Important – Always solder in a well ventilated room, with the fumes being pulled away from you. If need be use a desktop fan blowing towards a window away from yourself.

Stepper Driver Placement

TMC 2208, TMC 2209

Insert your stepper drivers into their correct positions and orientation, ensuring that they are gently pushed all the way down. Moreover on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1, that is with the potentiometer, facing towards the power connectors on the board. Additionally some drivers are marked with EN which should be matched up with the EN markings on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1.

However if you are wishing to use TMC 2209’s with mechanical switches and not use the sensor-less homing feature, then the DIAG pin on the TMC2209 needs removing. Moreover this can either be cut off with some wire cutters, or as I prefer unsolder the pin. Furthermore a PCB vice or some helping hands are particular useful for this task. Allowing one hand to apply heat with a solder iron, while holding pliers ready to remove the pin.

Continuing on with the stepper driver placement and I tend to prefer to leave the heatsinks off until after I have placed them on the board. Without a doubt this makes life a little easier.

Why add heatsinks ?

Without a doubt stepper drivers are constantly evolving and improving efficiency, but they can still run particularly hot. While placing heatsinks on each stepper driver helps to quickly draw some of the heat away. However most drivers still require additional cooling, such as a directed fan in order to keep them cool enough to prevent problems and missed steps.

Stepper Motor Wiring

Needless to say, as the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 is designed as a drop-in replacement for the original Creality boards. The stepper motor cables simply plugin in to the corresponding axis. For example the creality X cable plugs into the XM connection on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1.

But for those not using a Creality setup the writing a guide to the correct stepper motor wiring becomes difficult. Moreover with so many stepper motors on the market and each seemingly with their own colour coding pattern.

However most Nema 17 stepper motors has two coils that control the direction of movement. Furthermore the A in diagrams normally represents the positive and the B the negative wires. While each coil has its own pair of wires, and as long as each pair of A and B wires are connected so that they correspond to the A and B positions on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1. Then the worse that will happen is that the axis will move off in the wrong direction.

Nonetheless this can easily be overcome, either by changing the wire positions in the connector or by changing the settings within the 3D printers firmware. For instance the INVERT_X_DIR option within Marlin.

LCD Installation

Next step on the setup guide to installing the SKR E3 DIP V1.1, is connecting the LCD screen. Furthermore for many using the SKR E3 DIP V1.1, this is likely to be the Creality Ender display, which is often referred to as the CR10 display.

Additionally the LCD connection is a nice and simple task of connecting the EXP3 port on the screen to the LCD port on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 board.

TFT Touch Screen Installation

A very simple installation, if the 5 pin connector is used for the TFT it can only fit one way. Additionally on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 the reset cable, which is the one loose connector, sits at the top, nearest to the stepper drivers. While the 5V end of the 4 pin plug sits nearest to the thermistors. Furthermore to help visualise this better, I have used a multi-colour cable within the example imagery, Yellow is the reset cable and Red the 5V cable.

Importantly the example below shows the TFT pin placements on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1, working top to bottom. Moreover the reset is at the top being nearest to the stepper drivers.

A point of note, not all TFT models have the pin layout in the same order, so care needs to be taken. Moreover this is why the TFT cable that BTT or BIQU supply has the reset cable loose. Allowing the other pins orientation can be reversed by turning the cable 180 degrees.

TFT 35 E3

The example below shows the pin configuration on the TFT35 E3, Working left from right as you face the back of the TFT screen. Left being nearest to the SD card Slot and the right nearest to the edge of the screen.

FANS

Fans on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 are a little different and it is important to ensure you connect the right fans to the correct port.

Board Enclosure Cooling Fan

Moreover the board cooling fan on the Ender 3 enclosure plugs into FAN1, which is nearest to the stepper drivers.

Part Cooling Fan

While the part cooling fan used to cool the filament while printing plugs into FAN0. Which is nearest to the front edge of the board. Furthermore both fan ports have the positive connection on the left and the negative on the right, as shown below.

Furthermore it is important to remember to match the fans voltage to that of the SKR E3 DIP V1.1. For instance if you are using a 12 Volt power supply you will need 12V fans. Similarly if you are using a 24 Volt power supply you will need 24V fans. However you can use a buck convertor to reduce the voltage of fans from 24V down to 12V.

Affiliate Link – Buck Convertor Available on AliExpress

Heatsink Fan

For those using the Creality Ender 24V heatsink cooling fan, there a few options. Firstly the amperage is low enough that it could be wired together with the boards cooling fan via the FAN1 port. Alternatively the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 has an additional power out connector on the board. Which will directly output the same voltage as supplied to the board. Moreover using this additional power out is my favourite method of wiring the heatsink fan on this board, It’s quick, hassle free and no need to switch connectors.

BLTouch Installation

Connecting a BLTouch style probe is an easy affair on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 3D printer board. However there are some differences between versions and the colour coded cables that connect them. Nonetheless for ease ability I have listed the two main variants based upon original Antclabs BlTouch versions. But some clones may be different, yet the below examples will serve well as a base point.

Furthermore I have listed the order below from left to right for the Servo connector. Right being nearest to the TFT connector on the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 board.

BLTouch V2

BLTouch V3

Probe Connection

Despite a designated probe connection I just could not get it to work, either it would not power on, or it would just beep continuously with a blank screen. Consequentially the Z-Stop connector is used instead to connect the back and white cable from the BLTouch. Additionally the black cable is sat next to the Y-Stop and the white wire next to the THB thermistor connection.

Firmware Installation

To accompany the SKR E3 DIP V1.1 Setup Guide we have created a SKR E3 DIP Marlin 2 Firmware Setup guide to further aid SKR E3 DIP users.